Correspondence, oral histories, notes, newsclippings, reports, published materials, photographs and ephemera in this collection document the family and business lives of Houston entrepreneurs Herman and George R. Brown, providing the basis for author Christopher Castaneda and Joseph Pratt's book,
Builders : Herman and George R. Brown

This collection of material was gathered as the body of research supporting the publication of the book,
Builders: Herman and George R. Brown, by Joseph A. Pratt and Christopher J. Castaneda, published 1999 by Texas A & M Press. Herman and George R. Brown were very successful Houston philanthropists and entrepreneurs in the fields of oil and gas, and building and construction, during the 1950-1980s. The Brown family has also been a significant and generous donor to Rice University. Christopher Castaneda received his bachelor's degree from Rice, and his masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Houston. He teaches history at California State University, Sacramento, and has authored several other books related to oil and gas.

Correspondence, oral histories, notes, newsclippings, reports, published materials, photographs and ephemera in this collection document the family and business lives of Houston entrepreneurs Herman and George R. Brown, providing the basis for author Christopher Castaneda and Joseph Pratt's book,
Builders : Herman and George R. Brown. Subjects include Texas roadbuilding, shipbuilding, dam building, coal transportation and pipelines, construction labor issues, politics, philanthropy and the Brown family's development of Houston medical, art, and educational institutions (including Rice University), and Brown family matters. Of particular value are the oral history interviews of important Texas businessmen and women, lawyers, and politicians regarding the Brown brothers and their legacy, as well as original correspondence, particularly with Lyndon Baines Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. One set of chapter drafts for the
Builders book is located in Series I. Dates range from 1898-1996.

Arrangement

See individual series descriptions for detailed information on arrangement and contents.

This material was collected by authors by Joseph A. Pratt and Christopher J. Castaneda in cooperation with Isabel Brown Wilson, daughter of George R. Brown, and given to the Woodson Research Center by Ms. Wilson on behalf of the Brown Foundation, 1998.

George R. Brown served a Trustee for Rice University and the Brown family has been a generous donor to the university, with many buildings named for family members.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Newsclippings, notes, minimal correspondence, ephemera (photocopies, and some original documents), arranged by family member or person and then alphabetically by subject. Notes written by authors Pratt and Castaneda also located throughout this series. Subjects include travel, politics and relationships with U.S. Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson, philanthropy, art, and family domestic matters.

Subseries A: Brown Family also includes one set of chapter drafts of Castaneda and Pratt's Brown biography,
Builders.

Box

1-6

Subseries A: Brown Family

Box

Folder

1

1

Brown, Alice Pratt: [ appointment] Calendar 1977

2

Brown, Alice Pratt: Financial - marketable securities 1967

3

Brown, Alice Pratt: Newsclippings, 1960s

4

Brown, Alice Pratt: Swimming pool correspondence, 1953

5

Brown, Alice Pratt: Travel-Iran, 1970

6

Brown, Alice Pratt: Travel-Moscow, India, Teheran, 1970

7

Brown, Alice & George R.: Travel-Antarctica, 1976

8

Brown, Alice & George R.: Travel-Eastern Europe, 1976

9

Brown, Alice & George R.: Travel-Misc., 1975-79

10

Brown, Alice P. & Isabel: Travel-Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, London, 1961

11

Brown, George R.: Advisory Committee on International Business Problems, 1967

Note: See the Brown & Root archives at the Woodson Research Center for additional Brown & Root records.

Much of the original Brown & Root records were destroyed by George R. Brown during an office move circa 17 years before his death.

Box

Folder

9

1

Advertising, clippings, 1950s

2

Anti-Trust, clippings, 1974

3

Anti-Union, clippings, 1983

4

Aviation Department,
Brownbuilder article 1979

5

Awards, honors, citations

6

Bull Shoals Dam, clippings, 1940s

7

Correspondence, 1961

8

Financial statement, 7-1-25; Employment, 1946-79

9

France, clipping, 1964

10

Guam, clipping, 1948

11

History (by company)

12

History (not by company / newsclippings)

Box

Folder

38

1

History by Moorehead, draft 1, 1968

2

History by Moorehead, draft 2, 1968

3

History by Dan Dyess, n.d.

4

History: LBJ Library notes, n.d.

Box

Folder

9

13

Labor: 1940-1950s

14

Labor: Taft-Hartley Act, memo, 1953

15

Lake Pontchartrain, clipping regarding bid

16

Legal, clipping, 1956

17

Letterhead samples, n.d.

18

Levingston Shipyards, clipping, 1991

19

Logo history, n.d.

20

Lower Colorado River Authority, clipping

21

Marshall Ford Dam, 1944

22

Naval Air Training Station, Corpus Christi, TX, clippings, 1940-1950s

23

North Sea I, clippings, 1980-90s

24

North Sea II, clippings, 1980-90s

25

North Star Project-Soviet Gas, 1970s

26

Personalities, Brown & Root staff, 1960s

27

Projects, clippings, 1940-70s

Box

Folder

10

1

Published materials (brochures, booklets), 1940-1996

2

Rice Stadium, clipping, 1949

3

Road building, reports, clippings, 1920s

4

Road building (TX A&M records), reports, clippings, 1920s

5

Road building (HMRC records), reports, clippings, 1920-30s

6

Ships, clippings, 1969

7

Spain, clipping, 1955

8

Texas Highway Department, 1930s

9

Water supply report, 1960s-70s?

10

World War II, chapter draft / notes

Series III: Brown Shipbuilding, 1940-1990, bulk 1940s

Scope and Contents note

Subject files arranged in alphabetical order, dating mainly from the 1940s, and consisting primarily of newsclippings related to company construction, history, labor issues, ship launchings, shipyard layout. Some original b/w photographs depict ship launchings, and one architectural drawing outlines the shipyard, March 1943.

Box

Folder

10

11

Awards, clippings, 1940s

12

Bonds, clippings, 1940s

13

Brown & Root records, notes only

Box

Folder

11

1

Brown Victory Dispatch, 1943-44

2

Brown Victory Dispatch, 1945

3

Brown Victory Dispatch, 1946

4

Chemical, clippings, 1940s

5

Construction/technical, clippings, 1940s

6

History, clippings, 1940s

7

Labor, clippings, 1940s

8

Launching Program, USS Melvin R.Nawman, 1944

9

Layout (architectural drawing of plant, ) March 1943

10

Photographs, 1940s

11

Photographs-Launching Program, 1942

12

Post-War, clippings, 1940s

13

Ships, clippings, 1940-1990s

14

Shipyard, clippings, 1940s

Series IV: Correspondence, 1925-1983

Scope and Contents note

Original and carbon copies of correspondence to and from members of the Brown family, Lady Bird Johnson, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Gov. John Connally, and many others. Subjects include events at the White House, Committee for the Preservation of the White House, politics, art, and social matters.

Series V: Historical, 1937-1995

Scope and Contents note

Newsclippings, reports, published materials dating from 1937-1995, bulk years 1940-1970s. Subjects are varied but not extensively covered. They include Belton, TX, the Brown Foundation, Halliburton, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Rice University, and Houston water supply, streets, bridges, and sewers, among others.

Series VI: Texas Eastern Transmission Company, 1946-1989

Scope and Contents note

Herman and George R. Brown served on the Board of Directors for this corporation. This series includes George R. Brown's original business records, many relating to coal transportation and pipelines, and the bids for and eventual purchase of the Big and Little Big Inch Pipelines, which extend respectively from East Texas and the Gulf of Mexico to the New York - Philadelphia metropolitan areas. The lines were formerly known as the War Emergency Pipe Lines, and their sale was administered by the U.S. War Assets Administration. Formats include memos, telegrams, correspondence, pipeline sketches, notes, and published materials, dates range from 1946-89, bulk 1940s-1970s.

Box

Folder

21

1

Atomic energy, clippings, 1950s

2

Belmont, Augie, correspondence and clippings, 1950-60s

3

Coal pipelines: Misc. (1/2), correspondence and notes, 1960s

4

Coal pipelines: Misc. (2/2), correspondence and notes, 1960s

5

Coal pipelines, notes, 1964

6

Coal pipelines: Eminent Domain, correspondence, 1960s

7

Coal pipelines: Hearing before Senate Committee, testimony, 1962

8

Coal pipelines: Newsclippings, 1960s

9

Coal pipeline pamphlet, 1962

10

Pres. Kennedy's draft bill, 1962

11

Coal slurry pipeline, clippings, reports, 1980s

Box

Folder

22

1

Common stock offer, 1989

2

Consolidated Coal Pipeline Project summary, 1960

3

Correspondence: Misc., 1960s

4

Facts file, coal slurry, 1961

8-9

Financing, 1947-50

Box

Folder

23

1

Hearings before the Senate Committee to Investigate Disposition of Surplus Property, 1947

Series VII: Minot Tully Pratt Papers, 1893-1908

Scope and Contents note

This material was photocopied for Christopher Castaneda from the originals, located at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for American History (donated 1990, by Isabel Brown Wilson - contact the CAH for copyright information and permission to publish).

Comprised mainly of letters dating from 1893-1908 to Pratt's mother, but also including a dairy and photograph album of Pratt's. Pratt was the father of Alice Nelson, who would marry George R. Brown in 1925, and become known as Alice Pratt Brown.

Box

Folder

26

1

Correspondence with Barker Texas History Center, UT Austin

2

Letters: Aug.-Dec. 1893

3

Letters: Jan.-Mar. 1894

4

Letters: Apr.-May 1894, Sept.-Oct. 1894

5

Letters: Nov.-Dec. 1894, Jan.-May 1895

6

Letters: Sept.-Dec. 1895, Jan.-Feb. 1896

7

Letters: Mar.-May, Aug.-Dec. 1896

8

Letters: Jan.-Apr. 1897

9

Letters: May-Aug. 1897

Box

Folder

27

1

Letters: Sept.-Oct. 1897

2

Letters: Nov.-Dec. 1897

3

Letters: Jan.-Feb. 1898

4

Letters: Mar.-May 1898

5

Letters: June-Aug. 1898

6

Letters: Sept.-Nov. 1898

7

Letters: Dec. 1898-Jan.-Feb. 1899

Box

Folder

28

1

Letters: Mar.-May 1899

2

Letters: June-Nov. 1899

3

Letters: Dec. 1899, Jan-Apr. 1900

4

Letters: May-Aug. 1900

5

Letters: Sept.-Dec. 1900, Jan.-Mar. 1901

6

Letters: Apr.-Dec. 1901

Box

Folder

29

1

Letters: 1902, Jan.-May 1903

2

Letters: June-Sept. 1903

3

Letters: Oct.-Dec. 1903

4

Letters: Jan.-Mar. 1904

5

Letters: Apr.-May 1904

6

Letters: June-Dec. 1904

7

Letters: Jan.-Aug. 1904

8

Letters: Sept.-Dec. 1905

Box

Folder

30

1

Letters: Jan.-June 1906

2

Letters: July-Dec. 1906

3

Letters: Jan.-April 1907

4

Letters: May-June 1907

5

Letters: July-Sept. 1907

6

Letters: Oct.-Dec. 1907

7

Letters: Jan.-Dec. 1908

8

Letters: Teachers, 1890, 1893

9

Minot Tully Pratt diary, 1897-1898

10

Minot Tully Pratt photo album, c. 1896

Series VIII : Oral Histories, 1990-1995

Scope and Contents note

This series is comprised of original transcripts (Subseries A) and cassette tape recordings (Subseries B) of oral history interviews by
Builders author Chris Castaneda regarding Herman and George R. Brown, arranged in alphabetical order by the' interviewee's last name. Interviewees include Houston and Texas businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, politicians, lawyers, family members, and friends. Notable names include Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, Gov. John Connally, Dr. Norman Hackerman, Oveta Culp Hobby, Lt. Gov. William P. Hobby, Lady Bird Johnson, Rice President Dr. Kenneth Pitzer, Louisa Sarofim, and Mike Stude. The interviews were conducted during the period 1990-1992, with the exception of one interview in 1995 by Joseph Pratt.

Box

31-36

Subseries A: Transcripts, 1990-1995,3.5 linear ft.

Scope and Contents note

The transcript files typically contain the edited transcript, followed by a rough transcript, and by correspondence, notes, and in many cases, a copyright release form which allows publication from the interviews for scholarly purposes. (Interviews with no release letter are marked as such.) The date listed after the interviewee's name represents the date of the interview, other notes and correspondence in the file may have been created on other dates. Some files include correspondence or notes only, with no interview transcript, and have been identified as such.

See also Subseries B: Audio cassette tapes; several tapes exist which are not represented by transcripts.

These audio cassette recordings are the original format for the oral histories, and were used to create the transcripts in Subseries A of this series. Several of the tapes do not have corresponding transcripts, and are marked as such.